


Please Stay Awake With Me 'Cause I Don't Think I'll Ever Fall Asleep

by therivernix



Category: Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Life is Strange 2 Spoilers, M/M, he's out but god he's still repressed, obviously, sean and jacob pine for each other as sean navigates life and jacob finally accepts that he's gay, talk about traumatic past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:41:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24114436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therivernix/pseuds/therivernix
Summary: Sean has moved back to America after breaking up with Cassidy, and Jacob gladly opens up his home (and heart) to him until he's able to stable himself out. There's obviously something there, but Sean doesn't want to make anything weird and Jacob is still too damn shy. Better yet, Sean being around is giving the Jacob the confidence to start going out and date again... and Sean helps! Gotta love a man who wants to help his friend so much he pushes his own feelings aside for the better (and for the worse.) A Lyla the Love Witch intervention occurs, at some point. There's also a lot of late night chats and contemplation, hence the title.
Relationships: Jacob "Jake" Hackerman/Original Male Character, Sean Diaz/Jacob "Jake" Hackerman
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	Please Stay Awake With Me 'Cause I Don't Think I'll Ever Fall Asleep

**Author's Note:**

> At this point I'm picturing Sarah Lee and Daniel to be 18 so that would mean that Jacob and Sean would be 25/maybe Jacob is older? Basically, everyone is an adult and Sean and Jacob are in their mid to late 20s. Now let's watch these men be too soft for their own good. I don't know how long this is gonna end up being, let's see...

Showing up at Jacob Hackerman’s door wasn’t where I expected to end up on my first day back in California. But it’s where I ended up. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’d stored his address, from countless letters written to me back in Mexico with the promise that I could visit anytime, and bring Cassidy too, if I wanted to. Mi casa e su casa, he’d sometimes write cheekily as a sign off.

I wanted nothing but the best for him.

Yet here I was, one backpack, no Cassidy, just like I was 16 again. And I stepped towards the front door of Jacob’s house, painted a fading sky blue, with some potted plants placed on a porch table. It looked perfect. And I didn’t want to disrupt it for a second. But I knocked anyway. 

The wait was almost so long that I was turned around to leave when I heard a shy, soft voice, deeper than in my memory say, “Sean? Is that you?” I shut my eyes and took a deep breath before turning around to see him. He was wearing a soft looking blue t-shirt with some tan colored board shorts. His beard had grown back out again and his hair was so long now that he pulled it back into a baby ponytail. 

“Uh, yeah. Yeah it’s me. Uh… Hi.” I haphazardly waved, and before I could say another word Jacob was pulling me into a tight hug. He’d also gotten stronger since the last time we’d seen each other, his grip surprisingly firm on me. I was too in shock and a little too embarrassed to hug back.

“Sean, oh my god. What are you doing here? You should have called or something, I would’ve cooked something or at least made coffee-”

“No no, that’s okay. I didn’t really expect to end up here. It just kind of… happened.”

“Jake? Who’s over?” There was a shuffling from inside the house and behind Jake, surprisingly taller than he was, was who I could only assume to be Sarah-Lee. She was much more tan and her hair now had purple ends. “SEAN!” And immediately, she shot past Jake to pull me into a hug, where I discovered she was taller than even me too.

“Hey Sarah-Lee…” I laughed softly, squeezing her back. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You should’ve have called, we could have-”

“Don’t worry Sarah, I already gave him the spiel. He’s been well informed.” Jacob told her, biting his lips to keep from laughing.  
“Well, don’t just stand there, come inside! Do you need anything? Food, a glass of water?” Sarah-Lee asked, grabbing my hand and pulling me inside, past Jacob.

“Uh, yeah. A glass of water would be great, actually. Thank you Sarah-Lee.” She let go of my hand and I got a good look at her and Jacob’s beachside home. I’d only ever managed to visit once, with Cassidy three years ago, and then it’d been decked out in Christmas decorations. Seeing it now, it was much messier, with a giant green velvet couch that I couldn’t keep myself from sinking into, shouldering off my backpack and placing it at my feet. The other thing I noticed was that there were Polaroids taped everywhere. Mostly Sarah-Lee and her friends, surfing at the beach, around bonfires, some sparkler-clad shots from 4th of July’s past. But occasionally Jacob would show up in there as well, his arm around Sarah-Lee or with her completely absent and with his own set of friends, holding a can of beer in his hand and smiling meekly at the camera. There were also some shots of him with some kids outside of a small brick building, holding up a sign that said “CONGRATULATIONS” in big, pink lettering.

Sarah-Lee came back with my glass of water, handing it over to me. “So, what are you even doing in town? Is Cassidy with you?” She took a seat in the chair across from me, while Jacob placed himself beside me on the couch, looking happy to see me but keeping his space. 

“Uh, no. Cassidy and I… broke up actually. That’s part of why I’m not in Mexico anymore.”

“Wait, so you moved out? Completely?” Jacob looked over at me, concern in his eyes.

“Yeah, man. Cassidy wanted to stay and… I don’t know, Daniel’s about to move down here for college, so I wanted to be closer to him. Mom and David moved out to New Mexico and I thought maybe I could stay with them, but… I knew I needed to be by myself for a little bit. Or at least visit people who weren’t gonna hammer me with questions as soon as they saw me.” He smirked a little. “In that case, maybe I came to the wrong place.”

“No, no!” Jacob protested. “You didn’t come to the wrong place at all, it’s just been… it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you man. Call me in shock.” I looked down to notice his nails, painted a deep, shiny purple.

“I like that.” I nodded to his hand, reaching out and gently letting my fingertips brush his.

“Oh, yeah. It’s a new thing I’m trying out. Sarah-Lee did them.” He chuckled sheepishly, his hand pulling away a little when I touched it. 

“I’m a free salon. The only thing I ask for in exchange is cookies.” Sarah-Lee grinned before glancing outside. “I think I might go out and swim for a little bit. Give you two time to catch up, and… you know. Talk.” She turned, calling, “It’s so good to see you, Sean!” over her shoulder before quickly heading out, her board tucked under her arm.

“She has grown up… So fast.” I told Jacob, shaking my head.

“You’re telling me.” Jacob replied. “And Daniel is already in college? God I can remember when he barely reached my chest.” He grinned. “Looks like we’re finally getting old.” 

“Fuck no.” I responded. “Honestly… trekking my way out here put me right back to being 16. In the good and bad ways.” I looked down at my hands. “So much has changed, I just feel… clueless again. And a little alone.”

“Well, you’re not alone. I’m right here for you.” Jacob told me before gently placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing. “I’m sorry, is this okay.”

“Yeah… yeah definitely.” I took a deep breath, subconsciously scooting closer to him on the coach. “I’ve been so on guard from Puerto Lobos to here that it’s nice to… to finally be back around someone I trust.” I reached up, grabbing the hand on my shoulder and squeezing it. “Seeing you is like… a breath of fresh fucking air, Jake.”

“Is it stupid if seeing you is a bit like getting the breath knocked out of me?” Jacob responded, squeezing my hand back before letting go. “It’s weird, man. Things have finally been so stable for so long, seeing you… It jostled me. Not in a bad way, though. Swear.” There was a small silence before he said, “You should stay. For the night,” He clarified. “Or like, however… Sarah-Lee and I haven’t done a bonfire in a while, it’ll be nice to have an excuse to celebrate something. And you’ll love this. I can cook now. Real well, if Sarah-Lee’s judgement is to be trusted.” He looked over at me, waiting for an answer. “You don’t have to say yes. If you don’t want to. I get it if you need a little more time to be by yourself.”

And it would have been so easy, then. To say no. To say, aw man I don’t know, I’m so tired. I should just get a motel or something. I’ll be back tomorrow though. But… I was tired of being alone. And seeing Jacob… It reminded me of how important it was to accept the kindness of strangers. Not that Jacob was a stranger anymore, but he was so nice to me when I felt like I had no one. He was a safe space, in that way. 

So I made the choice. I decided not to be alone. And to Jacob’s offer, I simply gave an enthusiastic nod. “Yeah. Yeah, I would love to.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you like this and wanna see more! This is the first fic I've written in like, 3 years. I just loved the idea of this relationship so much that I had to write about it.


End file.
